Advertising device



June 18, 1929.

W. D. SMITH 'ADVERT I S ING DEVI CE Filed July '20, 1927 lik In 5sheets-sheet l J 33/ "9^" i //9 57 f7 43 '5" H s Il, /l Il j 39 wr D.SMITH ADVERTISING DEVICE June 18, 1.929.

Filed July 2o, 1927 3 sheets-sheet 2 June 18, 1929. w. D. sMlrH1,717,742

ADVERTISING DEVICE Filed July 2o, 1927 :s sheets-sheet 5 Patented June18, 1929.

UNITED STATES WILLARD D. SMITH, OF MAPLEWOOD, MISSOURI.

ADVERTISING DEVICE.

Application led July 20,

rIhis invention relates to animated advertising devices, and moreespecially, to collapsible advertising devices adapted to bring intoprominence a changing display of goods.

Among the several objects of the invention is the provision of anarticle of the type set forth, said article being easily constructed ofreadily obtainable materials, having a display that edectively attractsthe eye of a prospective customer, being easily operable withoutexpensive outlay for power or equipment, and constructed in a mannerthat permits folding of the completed article so that it may be readilypacked or shipped. Other objects will be in part obvious and in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises the elements and combination ofelements, features of construction, and arrangements of 2o parts whichwill be exemplified in the strucl ture hereinafter described, and thescope of the application of which will be indicated in the followingclaims.

In the accompanying drawings, in which is illustrated one of variouspossible embodiments of the invention,

Fig. 1 is a front view of the assembled disp 2 is a side view of theassembled display partly in section, showing the method of operating it;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a rotor showing a panel thereof brokenaway;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail view, partly in section showing thesupports of the rotor;

Fig. is a plan view showing the parts of the display dismounted, foldedand placed in position for packing; and

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the dismounted `display shown in Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout theseveral views of the drawings.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 there is illustrated atnumeral 1 the background board or panel of the display upon which isdesignated the name, advantages, price, and such features of the articlebeing advertised. It is made from strong,

thin stock, preferably wall board. More or less centrally located inthis board is an archshaped opening 3. Removably mounted with- 1927.serial No. 267,077.

in this opening or hole is a rotor 5, supported on a shaft 7 which inturn is supported by bearings 9 and 11 located on the front and back,top and bottom respectively of the opening 3 (see also Fig. 4). Thereason for this type of mounting will be disclosed herein-` after.

The background board or panel 1 is held erect by two supports 13 atopposite ends of said board 1. These supports 13 comprise preferablytriangular shaped pieces of wall board or other stock with predeterminedangles of support, and are affixed to the board 1 so that they may befolded back against it, into the shipping position shown in Figs. 5 and6. In order to insure the stability of the display, these supports 13are cut so that the entire display leans backward. In order in insurefree movement of the rotor 5, the shaft 7 is positioned somewhere nearlyupright. To accomplish this, the bearings 9 and 11 are set on the frontand the back of board 1 respectively, as above described (see Fig. 4).Bearing 9 is made of thin spring steel, and bearing 11 is made of a likebut heavier piece of metal. Both bearings are aHiXed to board 1 by bolts15. Bearing 9 has in it a hole 17 adapted to receive the upper end ofshaft 7, and bearing 11 is provided with hole 1'9 adapted to receivethepointed lower end of shaft 7 and permit it to rotate therein. Thesize and shape of these bearings is regulated by the slope for which thedisplay is fixed and the holes 17 and 19 are placed so that shaft 7 willbe substantially upright when the board 1 rests on the supports 13.

The rotor 5 comprises two circular discs or tables 21 and 23 (see alsoFig. 3). These `discs are made of suitable light stock such as wallboard, and have in their centers holes 25 and 27 respectively, throughwhich pass shaft 7. The upper surface of disc 23 has affixed thereto bymeans of cardboard hinges 29 display panels 31, 33, 35, 37. Thesedisplay panels are maintained in an upright position by means of tracks,or slots 38, on the under side of disc 21. The tracks 38 individuallycomprise two .shaped pieces of cardboard arranged to leave a spacebetween them suHiciently wide to accommodate the tops of said displaypanels 31, 33, 35 and 37 and are firmly afixed to said disc 21.

In Fig. 3, panel 33 has been removed to prise (separately) frames 42,built of saidv wall board, with .pieces of transparent col# ored glass,isinglass or similar material 40 mounted therein. The quadrants of discor table 23 are coloredwith colors complementary to the panels 31, 33,35 and 37; so that in revolving the entire rotor, striking color effectsare obtained.

Hingedly affixed to the under side of the disc 23 are a plurality ofcardboard vanes 39,

- adapted to fold back against said disc. These vanes 39 occupy radialpositions with respect to disc 23 and shaft 7, and are held in anupright position by tabs 45.

To the under side of disc 21 a wooden block 41 is affixechand throughthe center of said block runs a hole adapted to fit shaft 7 tightly.This arrangement is made to aiiix the rotor 5 as a whole to shaft 7 sothat it may not revolve thereon. Cotter pins 43 through shaft 7 preventthe lower disc 23 from sliding upwardly or downward upon said shaft. y y

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown the display in a dismounted form. It isreadily seen how shipment is facilitated by the flat nature of thedismounted parts. The supports 13 fold back flat against the back ofbackground panel 1. The rotor is removed from its bearings by springingsaid bearings and the display panels 31, 33, 35 and 37 fold down ontheir hinges after the disc 21 is slipped from the shaft 7. Disc 23 isremoved from shaft 7 and the vanes 39 are folded back against disc 23.The parts are all, therefore, substantially flat, and they may be laidon one another in any arrangement (Fig. 5 is typical) rendering packingand shipping extremely simple. The small hardware (including wooden andmetal parts) may be wrapped separately and included in the one hatparcel. To assemble the display from the folded parts as shipped, oneproceeds as follows:

First, stand the background board 1 upon its supports 13. Second, placethe cotter pins 43 in the shaft 7 after placing the disc 23 on saidshaft, panels upward. Hinge the display panels to their open positions.Next, force the wooden block 41 with disc 21 attached, on said shaft,sothat the side of disc 21 with the tracks thereon is downward. Theblock 41 is forced down until the tracks or slots on the top edge ofdisplay panels 31, 33, 35 andk 37 under side of disc 21 engage the,

and hold them firmly. Bend the vanes 39 to an upright position andsecure them in this upright position by means of tabs 45. To completethe assembly, place the shaft 7 with the now completely assembled rotoraffixed thereto in its bearings 9 and 11.

To operate the device, the preferred form of motive power used to drivethe rotor is air in motion, while an electric light with a reflector 47provides the light necessary. In the figure shown,an electric fan 49, bymeans of its driving force on vanes 39, serves to turn the rotor at aspeed regulated' by the speed of the fan.

The fan may also be directed as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2; soas to act with a tangential component on the rotor 5 and prevent thegreater part of theI air current from traveling through the opening 3. Athermal flasher device 55 may be inserted in the line feeding the fan,so that the fan circuit is turned on and off intermittently. Any similarautomatic current controlling means may be used. In this case it isdesirable to use a stopping arrangement to cause the rotor to stop at apredetermined position when its motive power is cut-off. To this end, apair of leather flaps 57 (Fig. 1) and a series of pairs of pins 59 areprovided on the background board 1 and the table 23 respectively. Thiscombination of elements acts to stop the rotor at predeterminedpositions when the air from the fan is turned off intermittently.

It is understood that other forms of drivers may be used such as anelectric motor coupled directly to shaft 7 to rotate said shaft.

With the rotor moving at a suitable speed, the light being focusedproperly, a novel and animated color effect is obtained byviewing thedisplay from the front.`

In view of the above, it is believed that the various features of thisinvention willV be clear without further elaboration, and it will beseen that with the apparatus, method and results herein described, theseveral objects of the invention are achieved and Vother ad-Y vantageousresults attained.

As manychanges could be made in carrying out the above invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is intended that all mattercontained in the above description shall be interpreted as illustrativeand not in a limiting sense. l

I claim: y

1. The display device comprising a sloping background panel, at leastone opening therein, a opening, said rotor being mounted on'bearingslocated forwardly and rearwardly of said background panel.

2. The display device comprising a background panel sloping rearwardlyand upwardly, at least one opening therein, a rotatable member mountedin said opening on on upwardly located bearing ahead of said panel rotoradapted to rotate in said and on a downwardly located bearing behindtersectng said shaft at an angle between the said panel. bearings.

3. The collapsible display comprising a In testimony whereof, I havesigned my 10 background panel, at least one opening therename to thisspeoication this 18th day of 5 in a shaft passing through said openingand July, 1927.

supporting a rotor and supported by bearings, the plane of thebackground panel in- WILLARD D. SMITH.

